Some assembly required.

Snowmen fall from heaven... unassembled. - Anonymous

I thought this quote fitting given the state of my sidewalks and the streets I had to drive through this morning to get home.

When I was a kid, we lived in North Dakota for a couple of years. While the frigid temperatures might drive some mad, it was a magical time for me. We learned the value of being able to spend time outside. We learned that it's okay to go ice skating when it's ten below and the wind chill is dropping rapidly. We learned that some of the best moments are the quiet ones, watching the snow fall together, wrapped in blankets near the heat spewing from the register. We learned to appreciate the snow days... and the days that we actually made it to school.

Something that I didn't realize back then was that the tools for a good life, for success, for happiness, were already at hand. No, that's a recent development.

You see, we are all capable of making the decisions necessary to move forward with our lives. We have the tools to learn what needs to be learned to enjoy success. We all are capable accepting the past and the outcomes of the future. We all are worthy of happiness. It's a choice.

The gifts of heaven are showered upon us when we enter this world. All we need to do is use them. Yes, we are like the snowmen. And like the snowmen, some assembly is required. Thankfully, we have all the gizmos, devices, means, and implements to do the job.

A little perspective goes a long way.

There are two ways of meeting difficulties; you alter the difficulties, or you alter yourself to meet them. - Phyllis Bottome

Have you ever had a problem with your computer? These maddening machines have become all-important factors in our lives. We email. We IM. We do research via internet. We check on the weather and sports scores. We make our plans and write our wills with our computers. We acquire our music. Heck, we even watch TV on our computers now.

Sometimes (maybe even often times), we take a breath, try to prevent the animals inside ourselves from ripping the machine off the desk and out the window, and reboot. And when even this isn't working right or not the way we want, we have to depend on the troubleshooting advice of manuals or the Geek Squad at Best Buy. But when this doesn't work, what then?

I am the first to admit that that I've made the mistake of depending on old habits to remedy my problems, and often, these methods don't work. When this happens to you, do you give up? Do you give in to the frustration and anxiety?

Knowing yourself means knowing when your way of doing things is no longer working and to ask for help, even if it's just for a new direction, a new way of looking at things. Perspective can be the best defense again the worst of situations. It can be the first step in changing ourselves for the better and overcoming the obstacles in our way to our goals.

It might even mean it's time for a new computer.

It lies with you.

If you take responsibility for yourself you will develop a hunger to accomplish your dreams. - Les Brown

Expanding on the thoughts of a previous post, I found this quote incredibly appealing. I've already expressed that you are responsible for your own happiness. Now, take that a step further, and what do you have?

When you realize that you are in your current situation based on your own decisions, and ending any blame that you may be placing on others' heads, you will find this opening up possibilities before your very eyes.

If you got yourself into desperate situations, you can move yourself out of them and into that which is good. Maybe you can even accomplish the things you've only dreamed of. It starts with a decision. Your decision.

What are you capable of? Do you even know?

If there were no limits to what you could do, which path would you take?

The truth of all of your possibilities lies in you. You hold your dreams in your hands. Do not rely on others to tell you what you should be, to decide what your life will be. Has someone ever told you that you can't do something, or go somewhere, or be someone? Did they also tell you they were lying to you. When someone is saying these things to you, it has to do more with the fact that they are dissatisfied with their own circumstances because they listened to someone else who told them the exact same thing. But the truth is that they are only a voice, and whether that voice carries weight is up to you entirely. It only matters if you listen to them and repeat that to yourself.

Stop saying those words, "I can't", and you find your abilities widening, the world becoming more accessible, your dreams within reach.

Ah, the blessings of friendship...

A good friend can tell you what is the matter with you in a minute. He may not seem such a good friend after telling. - Arthur Brisbane

As you weave your way down your life's path, numerous people will accompany you. If you are lucky, you will have the sturdy, steady friendship necessary during difficult times.

Today, I have chosen a quote on friendship that didn't reflect the opinion of so many that friendships are proven during these tough times. I think we all know that is true. But, rather, a comment on the qualities of the person's whose voice and hand are at the ready when needed.

When I was younger, I took the criticism of friends badly. Who was anyone to say anything to tarnish my own self-image? With the years came the realization that I was blessed to have anyone close enough to me who cared enough to want me to be improved, to want my life to be better than it was.

Yes, true friendship is proven when the niceties of life flitter away, whether due to circumstance or personal decisions. But those who would tell you the truth, even when, especially when, you don't want to hear it, to reveal the possibilities of the future for you, are those most worthy of being kept.

I am so blessed for my friendships. May they last as long as life.

It's all in the perspective.

It's never the end of the world. It's already tomorrow in Australia. - Charles M. Schultz

Spilled milk again? Accidentally bleached your red shirt? Lost some money in stocks? Betrayed by a co-worker? Bad, bad day?

Whether it be minor embarrassment, utter hysteria, or anything in between, it's important to have a seat somewhere quiet, take a moment, and reboot. Remind yourself that this, too, shall pass.

Bad days are called bad days for a reason. Sometimes, that's just the way things will roll. Maybe it starts with toothpaste on your shirt, and the bad luck continues to intensify until you've had a minor fender-bender, leaving you with laundry and higher insurance premiums. However your day got to be that way, it's the stolen moments of quiet and stillness that can clear your mind of these things - let them go and wave them away; gain some perspective.

I love the quote above. It reminds me that no matter how bad things are at the moment, the day will be over soon enough (and some days, not a moment too soon). Just smile and think, it's already tomorrow in Australia. A new day is nearly here.